"Halzion"[1] or "Harujion"[2] (ハルジオン, lit. "Philadelphia fleabane") is a song by Japanese duo Yoasobi from their debut extended play, The Book (2021). It was released on May 11, 2020, through Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The song depicts the protagonist who spends days of disappointment after parting with her lover, finding hope while re-questioning her dreams and the meaning of life, and regains her motivation to move into the future.[3] The English version of the song was included on the duo's second English-language EP E-Side 2, released on November 18, 2022.[4]
"Halzion" was based on Soredemo, Happy End, a short story written by Hashizume Shunki, marking the first time that Yoasobi collaborated with a professional novelist. Unlike the duo's former two songs, the source material was not based on the novel-centered social media Monogatary.com.[5] The song and the story it is based on were released as part of an advertising campaign Immersive Song Project by Suntory, to promote their new energy drink branded Zone.[6][7]
Usage in media
Besides Zone, "Halzion" also appeared in EA's 2014 video game, The Sims 4, which was added into the base game via a patch released on November 10, 2020. It can be heard through the S-Pop (Sim-Pop) radio station and has been re-written in Simlish language.[8] Additionally, the song appeared on the 2020 Gekidan No Meets stage Mukō no Kuni,[9] and Nintendo Switch 2021 televised advertisement Jibun Jikan-hen.[10]